


Routine

by Miss_read



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, It will develop later on, This has a full plot I swear, Waitress!au, WinterShock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-18 19:16:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2359256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_read/pseuds/Miss_read
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, and he's the cleanest person she's ever seen in her diner.</p><p> </p><p>{AU in which Darcy is a waitress at night and Jane's assistant during the day. Based on my own little headcanon of a crossover between 2 broke girls and Avengers because I just love Kat Dennings.}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Name Tags

Bucky glanced over the menu that was already on his table. The food seemed rather un-miraculous, but that was to be expected from a diner in New York at 11.30pm.  
He had been having trouble sleeping at Stark Tower. His bed was beyond comfortable, sure, and everyone was welcoming. But there was just too much in Bucky’s head that night, so he took a walk which led him to this diner with garish fluorescent lights outside and hardly anybody inside  
He looked around, spotted a waitress at the counter. She was pretty; blonde hair, skinny, tall, long legs, but she wasn’t anything special and by the looks of it she wasn’t serving anybody in his section.  
Bucky stared at the menu again for a few moments until somebody addressed him.

“Hi, welcome to the Manhattan diner. We’ve got a promotion going on right now; if you find enough hairs in your food, you get a free wig.” She said, a teasing lilt in her voice.  
Bucky laughed, like actually laugh and looked up at the girl who had been speaking.  
And what a girl she was.

He used to dream of girls like that as a kid, the kind he’d see on the nose of planes and posters.  
She had curves like he had never seen in a mustard-yellow uniform that did nothing to hide her beautifully thick legs. Her hair fell in dark waves down her shoulders and over her breasts that Bucky had to make an active effort not to look at. Her lips were painted a dark red and her blue eyes lined with a sharp black flick. 

He grinned at her and closed the menu before holding it out to her “I’ll have a coffee, black, and some fries.”  
“Coming right up.” The girl smiled and took the menu before heading over to the window to place his order.

It wasn’t long before she returned, his coffee in one hand and fries in another.  
“Coffee and and fries, let me know if you need anything else.” She said politely.  
“What’s your name?” He asked quickly.  
The girl looked him straight in the eyes “My name?”  
“Can’t keep referring to you as ‘the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen’ in my head, it’s quite a mouthful.” Bucky smiled, all charm and confidence.  
Her eyebrows lifted and so did the corners of her mouth “Well, you’d know my name if you looked at my name tag. But seeing as you’re obviously making an effort not to look at my breasts, unlike most guys, I’ll let you off.” She tapped the little metal badge pinned on the right breast of her uniform “It’s Darcy.” 

The way he was looking at her was strange. Darcy had been hit on before, many times, but this guy actually looked like he meant it when he said she was the most beautiful thing. He was gorgeous, obviously, and he had a charm about him that made her knees a little weak, but she had a job to do.

“I’m James, but you can call me Bucky.” He replied “You gunna be working all night?”  
She nodded “Yeah, until 1am”  
“No breaks?”  
“No breaks.”  
“Yikes, and I thought my job was demanding” Bucky chuckled.  
“What do you do?” Darcy asked, tilting her head.  
He paused “I do security work for some pretty big people.” 

She nodded, though his pause made her suspicious “That explains the muscles and stuff.”  
Bucky glanced down at himself, he was in pretty good shape “You been checking me out, Dollface?”  
Darcy blushed and scoffed “ _Dollface?_. What are you, like 80?”  
“Do you always spend this much time talking to customers?” He smirked.  
She gestured around the almost empty diner, save for a few half asleep people eating slowly and trying to wake themselves up “I’m not exactly busy right now.”  
“So you have time to give me your number?” Bucky asked smoothly. 

Darcy laughed, light and shimmering “You do this routine a lot?”  
“What routine?” He frowned.  
“This whole ‘most beautiful thing, flex the muscles, bat the eyelashes’ Routine to get my number?” She explained.  
Bucky ran a hand through his hair “Never before, actually. You really are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Darcy paused for a moment, searching his face for any hint of a lie.  
“Well..” She said finally “I guess you’ll have to come by again some time.”  
“I guess so.” He called after her with a grin, deciding he’d found a new place to eat.


	2. Ice(and heart)breakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy the waitress is just full of surprises.

Every night for the next 3 weeks, like clockwork, Bucky showed up at the diner.   
He’d sit at the same table, order the same thing and then strike up a conversation with Darcy, each time with a different icebreaker.

And every night, Darcy brings him his food and chats for a while. She only stops to serve another customer quickly before her attention is his once more.

He tried coming in the daytime, but she wasn’t there.   
“She only works here at night, Buddy.” The cashier told him “Got a job in the city during the day.”  
“Really?” Bucky raised an eyebrow “What does she do?”  
“She’s an assistant to some fancy scientists.” He said, almost proudly “She’s got a degree in political science, you know.”  
Bucky cocked his head to one side “No offence, but if she’s got that job why would she work nights here?”  
The cashier sighed “I ask myself that everyday. She worked here through college, I think she feels like she owes the place something.”   
Bucky nodded “Right. Well I guess I’ll be by tonight then.”

 

“Why don’t you sit down?” Bucky asked that night “You must getting tired standing there all night having me talk your ear off.”  
Darcy smiled and shook her head “It’s fine, I like talking to you. Besides, if I stand like this it at least gives the illusion that I’m working.”  
“C’mon, Darce. The place is empty, sit down with me.” He said hopefully.  
She looked around for a moment before taking a seat at the table across from him.  
“If I get fired for this, you have to find me a new job.” Darcy joked.  
“From what I’ve heard, you’ve got a good job in the city.” He replied.   
She shrugged “You’re right, but I like it here.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me about your day job?” Bucky asked, swirling his coffee in the mug.  
“And ruin the perfect waitress fantasy? Never!” Darcy laughed “I just didn’t think you wanted to know.”

Bucky paused and thought for a moment before letting out a laugh “I’ve literally been trying to get to know you better for the last few weeks, and you didn’t think to mention this double-life you’ve got going on?”  
Darcy blushed “Why have you been trying to get to know me?”   
“Because I wanted to know if it was possible to find the perfect girl,” He said simply “Turns out, it is. You are perfect.”

She stares at him for a long time, as if she can’t believe what he’s saying because she can’t.  
“You’re not serious, right?” Darcy asked “I mean, who says that?”   
Bucky blinked “What do you mean?”  
“Who tells a girl he’s not even dating that she’s perfect. I am so far from perfect it’s unreal.” She laughed shakily “You’re way closer to perfection than I am.”

Bucky leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the table “Y’know, I used to dream about girls like you.” He said softly “Mouthy, funny, brainy Dames like just like you was what made me get up in the morning.”  
“Why do you say ‘used to’?” She asked   
“Because now I don’t dream about girls _like you_.” He began, taking her hand in his gloved one “ ‘cause you’re the only girl on my mind, Doll.”

She looked down at his hand. That glove. Why was he always wearing a glove?  
Darcy rarely even saw the hand because he kept it under the table most of the time, on his lap. 

“I’m not going to be here tomorrow.” She blurted out finally “I’ve got a thing.”  
“A thing?” Bucky repeated, eyebrows raised.  
She pulled her hand away with a nod “Yeah, a thing. Just thought I’d let you know so you don’t end up moping around here waiting for me or looking for a new waitress to flirt with.” Darcy joked weakly.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” he smiled.  
“Yeah, I guess so.” She replied.

*****

“C’mon, Buck. You never come to any of Tony’s parties.” Steve urged “They’re not as bad as you’d think.”  
Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair “I don’t know, man. I’m just not feeling it..”  
“Every night for the past month you’ve been gone and you haven’t told me where to.” The blonde countered “And now you don’t want to go to a place with free booze. What’s up with you? Where do you go every night?”

Bucky groaned, if he was going to tell anybody about Darcy, it’d be Steve.   
“There’s a girl..” he admitted “Her name’s Darcy, she works nights at a diner a few blocks away.”   
Steve grinned broadly “Cute name. She a waitress?”  
Bucky nodded “Yeah, but she’s some sort of science assistant during the day.”  
“Really?” he raised his eyebrows “What does she look like?”  
“Like a real pin-up, Steve. Curves, red lips, blue eyes, brown hair. And boy, has she got a mouth on her.” Bucky sighed a little.

Steve couldn’t believe it, his best friend was going moon-eyed over a girl when usually it was the dames falling at his feet.  
“You really need to come to the party tonight.” He smiled, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder “I think it’ll be good for you.”

***

So that’s how Bucky ended up on the main floor of Stark Tower, dressed to the nines in a fitting dark grey suit and a purple thin tie. His trusty glove had been long forgotten and his metal hand was on show, knowing anybody at this party would have been exposed to enough to not be shocked by it.  
The music was softer than expected, nothing like Tony’s hard rock tastes.   
“C’mon, lets get you a drink.” Steve patted him on the back and lead him to the bar where they ordered whiskey’s despite not really being able to feel the effects of it.

“I told you it wouldn’t be that bad.” Steve smiled as they leant against the bar and looked around.  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Bucky shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

His eyes scanned the room and the people in it before they landed on her.

Her, standing by the door to the balcony, sipping a drink and chatting to Agent Barton about something.  
Her, in a tight purple dress and hugged her figure, stopped just above the knee and plunged at the chest just enough to get his heart racing.   
Her, the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. 

Darcy, the waitress by night and science assistant by day, was at Stark’s party.


	3. Worth it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've both got some explaining to do.

Steve was talking about something, but Bucky wasn’t listening. He was far too busy staring at Darcy in disbelief. She said she had a thing tonight, but he didn’t think that thing would be _a party at Stark Tower_.

“You okay, Buck?” Steve placed a hand on his friends shoulder to bring him out of his daze.  
“I’m fine. Give me a second.” Bucky murmured before striding across the room to stand behind Darcy, facing Barton.

“Barnes! Hey man, didn’t expect to see you here.” The archer said happily.  
“I kinda had plans, but they fell through.” Bucky shrugged.

Darcy visibly tensed. She knew that voice, the same voice she’d heard every night at the diner ordering a coffee and fries. 

“You never usually turn up to Stark’s shindigs.” Clint smiled “Have you met our newest lab lackey, Darcy?” He gestured to the girl in front of him.  
“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” Bucky smirked as she took a deep breath and turned to face him, putting on a smile for appearance sake

She really did look absolutely breathtaking in that dress, a wild contrast to her usual diner uniform.  
“Well, Darcy this is James Barnes, but you probably figured that out.” Clint said casually.

As the penny dropped, so did her smile. Sergeant James Barnes, Howling Commando, American Hero, Martyr, superhuman, Bucky from the diner.  
Her eyes dropped to his metal hand and she had to suppress a gasp. Not because she was scared, because she didn’t know how she could have not realised that it was James Buchanan Barnes hitting on her all this time. She had drawn hearts around his picture in the history textbooks in high school. 

“Honour to meet you, Mr Barnes.” Darcy held out her hand for him to shake.  
He took her hand in his metal one “Please, call me Bucky.” He said smugly before lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckle. 

Clint looked between the two of them, noticing how flustered Darcy was getting “Hey Darce, how about you show soldier boy around. He lives here but I’m sure he doesn’t know how to get around parties too well.” He smirked.  
Bucky would have taken it as an insult if it weren’t an excuse to get Darcy alone.  
“That sounds like a great idea.” Bucky grinned.  
“It does.” Darcy smiled back, much to his surprise “Let’s start with the balcony. I’ll see you later, Clint.”

Darcy took Bucky by the arm and pulled him out onto the empty balcony, sliding the glass door shut behind her.  
“JARVIS, secure the balcony until further notice.” She called to seemingly nothing.  
“As you wish, Miss Lewis.” A polite british voice replied.

She spun to face him with wide eyes “What the fuck are you doing here?”  
Bucky shrugged, a cocky smile on his face “Steve told me to come.”  
“Ah yes, Steve. Captain America, your best friend. Yet another crucial piece of information you neglected to tell me about!” Darcy yelled “Along with the fact that you are James Buchanan Barnes!”  
“You didn’t ask.”

“I asked what you do.” She crossed her arms over her chest “You told me you do security for some big people.”  
“Technically, I do. I’m like the security for the whole world.” He chuckled  
“And a comedian too, apparently.” Darcy said with a roll of her eyes. 

Bucky sighed a little and ran his hands through his hair “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But how was I supposed to know that you work for Stark?”  
“I don’t work for Tony, I work for Doctor Banner. I tolerate Tony.” She explained.

They were quiet for a few moments before Darcy spoke up again.  
“Was everything else you said true?” She asked quietly.  
“Not quite.” He took a few steps towards her “Because now you in this dress is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”  
Darcy blushed and looked up at him “So when I asked why you talked like you’re 80, it’s because you actually are.”  
“Technically, I’m 97.” he laughed.  
“Well, that makes sense considering all the times you’ve called me ‘Doll’” She laughed a little too. 

Darcy leant against the small stone wall that surrounded the balcony and Bucky wishes he could have taken a picture of her there, looking like everything he ever needed. 

“Tell me the truth, is me being me a complete deal breaker?” Bucky asked sheepishly.  
“I don’t like that you lied to me...but you’re still a great guy. And you were always my favourite Howling Commando.” She confessed.  
“Favourite, eh?” He grinned and stepped in front of her, placing a hand on the wall either side of her.  
“Well, you were certainly the dreamiest.” Darcy wrapped her arms around his neck.  
“I haven’t been called dreamy since the 40’s.” Bucky took the chance to put on hand on her hip and pressed himself lightly against her. 

They were quiet for a while, just looking at eachother in the flickering lights of Manhattan.  
“It’s not a deal breaker.” She said softly after a few minutes “You’ve put too much work into this for me to just turn you down.”  
“I wouldn’t have called it work.” He shrugged  
Darcy laughed “It can’t have been fun having to come to that dump of a diner every night just for me.”  
Bucky smiled and leaned in to brush his lips against hers lightly “It was worth it.” He murmured before pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

He kissed with skilled precision, switching from slow and lazy to deep and firm and back again so fast that it knocked the air from Darcy’s lungs.  
She held on to his shoulder as if she was afraid her knees would give way, letting out a small whine when he pulled away. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes on you in the diner..” Bucky breathed, leaning his forehead against hers.  
“Not too much of a let down?” Darcy asked, but she sounded just as out of breath as he was.  
He laughed “It was the exact opposite, but I feel like we missed something..”

Darcy raised an eyebrow and pulled back a little to look up at him “Really? What’s that?”  
Bucky straightened up to his full height “Darcy Lewis, I am completely crazy about you. Will you be my girl?”  
“I dont know, if I say yes then you won’t come to the diner any more, and we’ll lose 70% of our business.” She joked.  
He rolled his eyes and kissed her again, leaving her dizzy once more.  
“Yes.” Darcy breathed when he pulled away “I’ll be your girl, even if this is really cliché.”

“Miss Lewis, Sergeant Barnes, I have been asked to request that you come back inside.” JARVIS announced.  
“We’re busy.” Bucky said simply.  
“I am aware, Sir. However, Mr Stark also wishes to inform you that the windows are indeed not tinted in any way and that you are in full view of the rest of tonight's guests.” The AI replied.

Darcy looked over Bucky’s shoulder to be faced with the sight of Steve, Tony, Clint and Natasha standing at behind the glass.  
“Oh God.” She groaned and hid her face in Bucky’s chest.  
He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled “C’mon, it’s not that bad.” 

“Captain Rogers has explained the situation and the nature of your relationship, Miss Lewis.” JARVIS announced.  
Darcy looked up at Bucky “You told Steve about me?”  
“Well, kinda. I said I was far gone for a waitress called Darcy who was also a science assistant and looks like a pin-up model. Guess he must have connected the dots.” He shrugged before pausing for thought “Wait a second, Steve knew it was you and didn’t tell me? What a punk..” 

Darcy laughed and took his hand “C’mon, let’s go enjoy the party.” She dragged him back inside. 

Bucky gladly put up with the teasing from his friends and even the shocked, happy squealing from Jane Foster as he told the story of how he and Darcy met. And it was all worth it for the way she felt in his arms and they way her lips fit against his at the end out the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this story is going to go in a pretty unexpected direction after this because I feel like I've written Bucky's love for Darcy really strong and I want to use it for a story arch that I've been wanting to write for a while now.


	4. Falling in to place (And falling apart again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything was perfect.  
> If it could stay that way was another matter.

Bucky had been spending a lot more time in the lab since he had gotten together with Darcy. He would mostly just sit by her desk and either read the paper or watch her work whenever he was down there. Nobody minded because he wasn’t much of a distraction, expect for the squealing noises he caused from Jane whenever he looked at Darcy a certain way.

“Jane, can you be more of a scientist and less of a human squeaky toy?” Darcy teased after Bucky walked past and ran his hand along Darcy’s waist as he did so late one night  
“I’m sorry! It’s just so cute.” Jane grinned at her, waving a hand at Bucky “Look at him! He’s so crazy about you, it’s so sweet!”  
Darcy laughed “Okay, Jane. Why don’t you have a glass of water and calm down. I’ll call Thor and tell him he can to pick you up and he can deal with this. You’re clearly sleep deprived” She got out her phone and dialled Thor’s number.

Thor came to take Jane home, leaving Darcy typing up the notes from today’s works and Bucky sitting next to her.   
“Do you have a shift at the diner tonight?” He asked softly.  
“I have a shift at the diner every night.” She sighed.  
Bucky pressed a kiss to her clothed shoulder “Why? You make plenty money here. What’s the point?”   
Darcy shrugged and finished writing the notes “I don’t know. Working there was what kept me alive until I met Jane. I’d feel bad if I just left because I don’t need the money.”   
He wrapped an arm around her waist “They’ll understand, trust me.”

She shut her laptop and shook her head “I don’t know.” Darcy stood.   
Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back close against his chest “Just think about it, Doll.”   
“Okay.” She nodded and leant back against him. He pushed her hair aside and pressed hot, open mouthed kisses to her neck “You just want me all to yourself, don’t you?” Darcy teased.   
“Maybe I do.” He mumbled against her shoulder “I’d like to have you in my bed for more than just a couple hours.”  
“I’ll see what I can do.” Darcy smiled. 

***

He picks her up from the diner every night, unless he’s on a mission. He’d bring her a cup of hot chocolate and hold her close until they got back to either her apartment or Stark tower where she’d crash out fast asleep and he could just hold her close until he drifted off too. 

When he was on a mission, she’d text him sweet little messages, even if he couldn’t reply until he was on the plane back when he’d text her saying: _Come to the Tower, I’m coming home. -JB_.  
And she would. Darcy would run up to the landing deck and wait as the jet grounded and the doors opened. Bucky would step out with a wide grin on his face, still in full combat gear, and open his arms to which she’d leap into a kiss the breath out of him.

They then had a habit of taking the rest of the day off until Darcy had to do her shift at the diner. First she would run him a hot bath in one of Stark’s ridiculously huge tubs that had a conveniently wide edge for Darcy to sit on as she washed his hair.

“I quit my job at the diner.” She said softly one night as she gently lathered shampoo into his hair.  
Bucky grinned “Really? What did they say?”   
“They said ‘about damn time.’” Darcy laughed and so did he.

Bucky was quiet for a few moments before taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles “I love you so much.”   
She let out a soft sigh “I love you too, Bucky.”  
And everything was perfect.  
***

One day, when Bucky came back from the mission and texted her to let her know that she was coming, Darcy wasn’t on the landing pad to greet him.   
He went down to the lab, but she wasn’t there either. Nobody was.  
It was then that Bucky went up to the common room where everyone was sat with looks of despair on their faces. Steve had his head in his hands, Tony was leant against the wall in deep thought and even Natasha looked worried, but no more so that Jane who was curled up against Thor with tear stained cheeks. But Darcy wasn’t there. 

“What’s going on?” Bucky asked, worry twisting in his stomach.   
Steve looked up at him with such sympathy “I’m sorry, Bucky..” He sighed.  
“What? Why’re you sorry?” Bucky frowned.

The team looked from one to the other before Natasha finally spoke up.   
“Darcy’s missing.” She said simply “She’s been taken.”


	5. Wake up (Call)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wakes up and he's one step closer to her, but a world away from himself.

Bucky wakes up in the panic room, but his defensive stance tells him that he hasn’t been sleeping.  
The metal bed that used to be in the corner of the room is smashed and mangled and there are several dents in the walls around him.  
He tastes blood in his mouth. He’s had an episode. 

When the door opens and Steve steps in.  
“Bucky?” He asked softly, shutting the door behind him.  
“Yeah, it’s me.” Bucked sighed and ran a hand through his hair “I didn’t hurt anybody, did I?”  
“Nah, you locked yourself in here before it even started.” Steve shook his head and smiled “We can find her, Buck. It’ll be easy.”

Bucky stayed quiet.  
“Seriously. Don’t worry. Natasha’s on the case right now and she works fast.” Steve assures him.

Bucky nods. Natasha works fast, but he knows he kind find it in himself to work faster. 

***

He wakes in a motel room in front of a laptop, staring at a surveillance video from somewhere in Albany. A girl who looks a lot like Darcy was being dragged from one car and pushing into another. The video lasts 5 seconds.  
Next to the laptop was an address written in Russian. 

Bucky takes a photo of the address and send it to Natasha, along with the video.  
She replied with a text telling him to come home. 

***

He wakes in a motel, a different one. In front of him are some files with fingerprints from Darcy’s apartment and hair fibres from the walls her front door. One of them matches, just one, to a gangster who used to deal with Stark industries before Tony turned it all around. 

Another file gave an very in-depth report on the man; who he worked with, where he was from.  
Bucky sent the information to Natasha again.  
Steve left him a voicemail telling him to come back so they can work together. 

***

He wakes up in a warehouse weeks later. His hair is slightly longer and he’s in full battle gear.  
Bucky had been embracing his episodes, every time he wakes from them he’s a few steps closer to Darcy. 

And now he was here. 

The dead bodies of her captors lay around him and he could hear Darcy’s voice through the metal door before him. 

“Hello?” She called. “Is anybody there? Are you from SHIELD? Is Bucky with you?” 

He didn’t answer, instead he called Steve. 

“Bucky? Are you okay?” He asked quickly “Where are you?”  
“I found her.” Bucky muttered “I’ve dealt with all the people here. You just need to pick her up.”  
“Are you there? Why don’t you pick her up?”

Bucky paused before turning and walking out of the warehouse.  
“She can’t see me like this..” 

***

Darcy is awoken by the sounds of fighting outside her door. She hears her captors being beaten and hopefully killed. 

When it falls silent, she calls out. 

“Hello? Is anybody there? Are you from SHIELD?” Darcy’s voice is shaky, weak “Is Bucky with you?” 

No answer. It’s about another hour until Steve comes to get her.

***

Bucky goes back to the Towe. He showers, shaves, and even trims his hair a little to keep it sharp for Darcy’s arrival. 

He doesn’t get to see her right away, of course. She has to be taken to a physical and psychological assessment to evaluate the damage  
Darcy’s a strong girl, and she holds up just fine. 

Bucky paces as waits. People keep asking if he’s okay. He tells them that it doesn’t matter.

The elevator doors open and before he can even blink Darcy is in his arms again. Bucky buried his face in her neck and held her close, breathing in her smell and savouring the feeling of her body against his.  
She shakes a little as she begins to cry with relief and he lifts her off the ground. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” he breathed and smoothed down her hair “I-I didn’t know..I couldn’t..”  
“Thank you.” She whispered, cutting him off from his ramblings “Thank you for finding me. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again..”

That night they fall into bed together, the same way they have hundreds of times before, only this time Bucky literally can’t take his hands off her. It’s almost as if he wants to ensure that she won’t be taken from under him in their throws of passion. 

“Bucky.” She moaned as he rocks his hips into her “Relax.”  
It’s then that Bucky realises he’s been holding his breath and feels rather light headed. He huffs it out and concentrates on her and how good her tight heat feels around him.  
“I love you.” He mumbled against her jaw “I love you so much..”  
“I know.” Darcy breaths “I love you too. I’m here now.” 

It doesn’t take long for Bucky to come, not since it’s been so long since he’s even touched her.  
He then works her to her orgasm with his hands and mouth until she’s whimpering and moaning over the edge. 

He holds her close that night, staring up into the darkness at the ceiling.  
“I can’t be without you.” Bucky mumbled.  
“I’m not going anywhere.” Darcy hummed in response, lacing their fingers together.  
“Promise?”  
“Promise..” 

Bucky waits for a few moments, takes a few deeps breaths before he says it.  
“Will you marry me?” He doesn’t take his eyes off the ceiling and even if he did, the room’s too dark to see her face. Nevertheless, he hears the catch in her breath and feels the way her body tenses in his arms. 

When she finally gives the answer, Bucky feels like he could sink through the mattress right to the floor.  
“Yes.”


	6. Complete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy wakes up to an emptybed, but she'll never be alone again

Darcy awoke the next morning in an empty bed. Her heart sank to her stomach at the thought that perhaps Bucky had second thoughts, that he didn’t want to marry her.   
She looked around for him, checking each room in the apartment before she spotted the note on the front door. 

_Meet me on the balcony -B x_

She quickly got dressed and rushed up there to find Bucky leaning against the edge, looking over the city. Darcy crept over silently, pressing a kiss to between his shoulder blades.   
Bucky turned to face her with a grin.   
“Hey.” He said softly   
“Hey, what are you doing up here?” Darcy smiled.

“I wanted to give you the proposal you deserve.” Bucky said proudly and pulled her a little to the left before turning her so her back was against the edge “This is where we first kissed.”  
“I know, after you stalked me.” She teased.  
“I wouldn’t call it stalking.” Bucky chuckled “Either way, it worked. And now I’m the happiest man alive.”   
“Bucky you already know I’m going to say yes..” Darcy laughed softly.   
“Just let me do this, Okay?” He asked and Darcy nodded. 

Bucky got down on one knee and held her hand in his.   
“Darcy Lewis, I knew from the start that I would fall in love with you. Hell, the first thing you said to me was a joke. Then I saw you and you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” He began, brushing his thumb over her knuckles “I couldn’t even believe how lucky I was when I saw you at Stark’s party, and you’ve made every day perfect since then. And I can thank you enough. But I want you by my side for the rest of my life. So...Will you marry me?” 

Darcy was quiet for a few seconds, which made him nervous until he noticed the small tears building in her eyes.   
“Yes.” She said finally “of course I’ll marry you, doofus.” Darcy grinned and threw herself in his arms.   
Bucky caught her and held her close, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.   
“Thank you.” He murmured into her hair.   
“I love you so much.” She replied, squeezing him tighter.

“Sir, it appears as though you are forgetting something.” JARVIS piped up.  
“Shit. Yeah.” Bucky nodded and gently pushed Darcy off him so he could retrieve the ring from his back pocket. It was a simple, white gold band with a diamond set in the middle. 

“Oh, Bucky.” Darcy cooed as he slipped it onto her finger “You didn’t have to get me a ring.”  
“Sure I did.” He kissed her hand before standing and pressing a kiss to her lips in the same spot where they shared their first kiss.   
The distinct sound of the cork of a champagne bottle popping drew them back to reality as they rest of the team made their way onto the balcony, all dawning huge grins.   
Thor pulled Bucky into a bone crushing hug, congratulating him on winning the heart of such a fair maiden as Darcy.   
Steve picked Darcy up and twirled her around as she squealed happily.

 

Bucky had never felt more complete in his life


	7. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making them and keeping them are two different things

_Happy Birthday, Doll. Sorry I’m missing it. -JB_

_Don’t worry about it, we can celebrate when you get back. -DL_

_Steve’s taking you out to lunch, right? -JB_

_Yeah, we’re going to go over some plans for the wedding. -DL_

_Shouldn’t I be there for that. -JB_

_Not necessarily. You just stand at the end of the aisle and look pretty. -DL_

_I have to go. Recon. -JB_

_Can I call you later? -DL_

_You can, but don’t bank on me pickin’ up. -JB_

_Just try. -DL_

_I will. I love you. -JB_

_I love you too. -DL  
_

It’s 7pm when Darcy called, but 2am for Bucky. He still picks up, happy to fill the sleepless silence of the safehouse with the sound of her voice.  
Darcy had spent the day catching up on whatever work she had missed out on by spending too much time with Bucky. It wasn’t that Bruce minded, of course. He was happy to see them happy. She also set about cleaning the apartment, which was always left in a mess when they were both around because they were occupied with eachother. 

“Hey there, Doll.” He murmured, a soft smile across his face.   
“Hey.” She replied, curled up on the couched. Darcy had wrapped herself in one of his sweaters because if she thought hard enough, it was almost as if he was holding her. 

They’re quiet for a while, not having much to say.   
Bucky closes his eyes and leans his head back against the cold brick wall. 

“I picked out a dress.” Darcy said after a minute or two.   
“Really? What’s it like?” Bucky wouldn’t be able to picture the dress even if she described it to him, because he didn’t know the first thing about fashion other than the fact that Darcy looked beautiful in everything.  
Darcy let out a soft laugh “Can’t say. That’s bad luck.”   
Bucky sighed, letting the sound of her laugh wash over him for a moment before speaking again.   
“I miss you.”   
“I miss you too, baby.” She said straight away, like a second nature.

“I really am sorry that I missed your birthday, Darce.” He mumbled  
“It’s fine, really. Just focus on getting home safe.”  
“Can’t make no promises.”   
“Don’t say that.” 

That cuts Bucky short. He was only kidding, but he should have figured that it would make Darcy not feel to good.   
“Darce, I didn’t mean-” He began, but she cut him off.   
“You can’t say shit like that. You’ve got to come home to me.” Her voice was shaky and she felt a lump forming in her throat.   
“I just meant that I don’t know what’s going to happen out the.” Bucky sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“And I’m just saying that you should be more dedicated to getting back safe.” Darcy snapped “We’re engaged, Bucky. Do you even think about what would happen to me if I lost you?” 

Buck paused. He’s always been thinking about how much he loved her. She was the one girl for him. Perfect. The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. But he never stopped to think about how much she loved him. 

Darcy had never been with a guy who wanted her as much as Bucky did. Everytime he looked at her, it was like she was something special and that made her feel good. And she loved him so much. He was a good man. He saved lives. He had been through so much and yet still managed to be the funniest guy she knew. 

Darcy often dwelled on what she would do if she lost him almost every night that he was away. It wasn’t as if he could move on after her fiance dies. She’d have to leave their apartment because she wouldn’t be able to be in the space they shared together. Seeing Steve and Tony and all her other friends would just remind her of him. When she was kidnapped, Darcy was convinced she’d never see the love of her life again. Now she had him back, she was not letting him go.

Losing Bucky was not an option. 

“You’re not going to lose me, Darce. No ever.” Bucky said firmly “I will always come home to you. I promise.”   
Darcy lets out a breath that she didn’t realise she’d been holding “I love you so much.”  
“I love you too.” He replied, a small smile tugging at his lips as he changed the subject “Did you have a good day?” 

“Yeah. Steve and I went to lunch. Then we all just watched some movies.” She told him “I wish you were here.”   
“I wish I was there too. I should be back by tomorrow night.” Bucky assured her “You should get some sleep, Princess.”  
“Okay, see you soon.”  
“Night, Darce.”   
“Goodnight, Bucky.” 

***

Darcy woke the next morning wrapped in the arms of her fiancee. It was hardly a surprise that she didn’t hear him come in, he was trained to walk silently. 

“Bucky?” She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes to look up at him.   
Being a light sleeper, his eyes clicked open almost immediately “Hey, Dollface. Sleep well?” He murmured, pulling her closer.   
“I did. When did you get back?” Darcy asked.   
“Around 5.30am. Got ahead of schedule so we came home early.” Bucky smiled

She rolled over so she was lying on top of his chest, her head buried in the crook of his neck  
“Thank God. I missed you so much.” Darcy grinned against his skin.  
“I missed you too, Darce.” Bucky chuckled before kissing the side of her head “How long now?” 

It was a little thing they had started since they had gotten engaged. Every couple of days, even though they had both been keeping count, one of them would ask ‘How long now?’ and the other would recite the exact amount of time until the wedding. 

“3 months and 9 days.” She told him, leaning up to rest her forehead against his “I can’t wait.”   
“Me neither, Darlin’.” He ran his hands down her sides, his metal fingers avoiding her flesh as to not startle her skin with it’s morning-cold touch “Been waiting since I first saw you at the diner.”

“It’ll be worth the wait, Bucky.” Darcy kissed the tip of his nose “I promise.”


	8. Wake up (For me)

_Darcy lay in his arms, soft and warm and perfect. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is shallow. She must be sleeping.  
“Bucky.” She murmurs.   
“I’m here, Doll.” He smiled “I’m right here.”_

_Bucky brushed his thumb over her shoulder and that’s when he noticed she’s wearing her mustard-yellow and red striped waitress uniform.  
“Darce, why-” He cuts himself off when looks down at himself, dressed in full combat gear.   
“You weren’t fast enough.” Darcy wheezed. _

_Bucky frowned “Princess, what are you talking about?”_

_Red blooms from her abdomen and her uniform soaks with blood.  
“You were too slow.” She coughed “You didn’t save me.”   
“I did!” He insisted “I came for you. I saved you.”   
“You didn’t.” Darcy shook her head “He did.”_

_Bucky looks up to see him. The Winter Soldier standing before him, a blood soaked knife in his hands. He doesn’t move, just stares.  
“No!” He began to shake, pulling her close “No, Darcy. I saved you. I’d never hurt you, Babydoll. I swear”  
“I love you, Bucky.” She said with her last breath before turning cold in his arms.   
He pulls back to look at her, beautiful blue eyes gone lifeless, like a sea that had frozen over.   
“Wake up, Darcy.” He sobs “Please.” _

_Silence._

_“Darcy, please. Don’t leave me.” Bucky pleaded. “Wake up!”_

His eyes click open and his hand shoots out to the other side of the bed, searching for her.  
When he feels nothing he starts to worry. 

Then he remembers what day it is.   
Bucky rolls over and reads the clock. 1:25 am  
He’s getting married today. 

Darcy’s in a hotel. In a few hours she’d be pampered and primped before she finally puts on that wedding dress and meets him at the end of the aisle. 

The nightmare had really shaken him and Bucky decides the only way to put that feeling to rest would be to call her. 

She picks up on the second ring “Hey, baby.”   
Bucky closes his eyes and smiles, letting the sound of her voice wash over him “Hey, sweetheart. Did I wake you?”   
“Nah. Couldn’t sleep anyway.” Darcy responded. 

He could picture her; laying on the probably too big bed, staring up at the ceiling with a hand behind her head. 

“Me neither.” Bucky sighed. He decided against telling her of his dream, he didn’t want to worry her.   
“You feeling okay?” She asks “No second thoughts?”   
He chuckles “My only thoughts are why a peach like you would want to marry me.”

 

“You laughed at my jokes.” Darcy replied warmly “And you’re not so hard on the eyes, either.”   
Bucky pauses for a few moments before speaking up “You know I’ll always come for you, right?” 

He could hear the sound of Darcy shifting “Where’d that come from?” She asked.   
“Well, when you were taken...You knew I’d come and save you, didn’t you?” He explained.   
Darcy laughed softly “Of course I did, silly.” She told him “You should’a heard me the whole. Told them they better let me go because my boyfriends on his way and he’ll tear them all to pieces with one metal hand.” 

Bucky grinned “That’s my girl.” All worry leaves his body.   
She yawns a little “Your girl.” Darcy agreed.   
“You sleepy, Dollface?” He asked.   
“Yeah, you’re voice is too damn deep and smooth.” She agreed with a small giggle.  
“Close your eyes, princess. Go to sleep.” Bucky soothes. 

“I love you, Bucky.” Darcy mumbled as she did as she was told.  
“Love you too, Darce. I’ll see you in a few hours.”


	9. Start of Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You look very handsome, baby.” She smiled, and brushed her thumb over his knuckles “But you look like you’re about to cry. And if you cry, then I’ll cry. So you pack that up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darcy's dress:http://cache.net-a-porter.com/images/products/41379/41379_in_xl.jpg  
> (I did a terrible job at describing it, but it's my fave dress ever)

When Bucky stares into the mirror, he can’t help but smile. He looked damn good.  
He’d cut his hair to the way it was before the war, before the solder, before Darcy. He was dressed in a finely tailored 3 piece suit in a dark navy blue, the tie had yet to be placed just yet.  
He was happy, happier than he’d ever been in his whole life. 

“Maybe you should be marrying your reflection rather than Darcy.” Steve teased as he straightened his own tie.  
“Shut it, punk. Even you can recognise how great I look" Bucky smirked in return, running his fingers through his hair. 

“You look great because you look happy.” The blonde patted his shoulder.  
“I am.” He nodded and turned to face his best friend “Can you do me a favour?”  
“Sure, Buck.” Steve smiled “Anything.”  
“Go check on Darce? Make sure she’s okay? She was really nervous about her dress and stuff.” Bucky asked hopefully “Just tell her it’ll all be okay, and that I bet she looks beautiful.” 

**

Jane and Pepper were fussing with Darcy’s hair while Natasha and Sif sat to the side, sipping champagne when there was a knock at the door. 

“Who is it?” Jane rushed to the door, holding it closed just in case it was Bucky coming to strike bad luck on them.  
“It’s Steve. I’ve got a message for the bride.” He called through. 

The door was opened and the best man stepped inside, looking over all the bridesmaids as they stood to greet him. 

“You girls look amazing.” He grinned, kissing each woman on the cheek. As he had been fairly involved in planning the wedding, it was his idea that all the bridesmaids wear whatever dress they want, as long as it was black to match the groomsmen. 

“You look pretty good yourself, Cap.” Natasha smiled.  
“Not too good, I hope.” Darcy said as she stood “Can’t have you outshining the groom.”

A wide grin broke out across Steve’s face when he looked Darcy over in her wedding dress. It was designer, strapless , made of a cream silk that hugged her waist and draped down to just above her knees. Bucky was right, she did look beautiful. 

“Does it look okay?” She asked and it was clear that Bucky was also right about her worrying.  
“Darcy, that dress is gorgeous.” He assured her “And you look a million bucks.”  
“I’d hope so, that’s basically how much the dress cost.” Darcy laughed shakily.

Steve chuckled. He couldn’t lie, had Bucky not gotten to her first, Steve probably would have asked Darcy out himself. He even would have fallen in love with her. Every now and then, he’d catch himself out, looking at the happy couple with envy rather than happiness for his friend.

Who could blame him? She was bright, funny, smart and looked like one of the pinups he used to see on the walls of fellow soldiers bunks. It made sense that he would want the same girl Bucky wanted, they were best friends after all. But now, on the day where the window would finally close, he couldn’t bring himself to feel jealous, because this was right and the window had actually closed a long time ago. Bucky and Darcy were meant for eachother, and nothing in Steve could deny that. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, taking her hand.  
“I’m scared, Steve.” She said quietly “I don’t know if I’m good enough to marry him, last night I dreamt that I got to the end of the aisle and he wasn’t there..”  
“Darce, you’re more than good enough.” Steve assure her “He told me to tell you not to worry, and that he’s sure you look stunning. He’ll be there, even if I have to drag him there myself.” 

She tiptoed up and pressed a kiss to his cheek “Thank you, Steve.” 

“Okay, Cap. You and I are going to check on Bucky.” Natasha piped up “You guys, finish Darcy’s hair.” She ordered before pushing Steve out the door. 

**

“брат” Natasha said softly as she entered the room “You okay?”  
Bucky spun to face her and smiled softly “I’m fine. You surprised I haven’t made a run for it yet?”  
“No, I know that you know that we’d all kill you if you did that to her.” She smiled back, which was rare for her.  
“I’d kill myself if I ever did that to her.” He joked. But it wasn’t a joke, and it hung heavy in the air.

“You’ve changed.” Natasha said softly, getting his tie and beginning to fix it onto his neck.  
The two of them had trained together, fought together. It may have been for the wrong people, but there was always the bond between them even after they were clear of the brainwashing. 

That meant that Natasha was as much a groomsman as she was a bridesmaid.  
On the other hand, Steve was a bridesmaid as much as he was a groomsman, so they’d be walking eachother down the aisle.

“Just ‘cause I’m getting married, doesn’t mean I’m leaving any of you.” Bucky protested.  
“No, I mean. You’re not the Winter Soldier anymore.” She explained “Before you met Darcy, there was still that little part of you that was still him. But that’s gone now. And I’m happy for you.” 

He took one of her hands from where it was tying his tie and pressed a kiss to it.  
“спасибо, сестра.” Bucky murmured.  
“But I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten your russian.” Natasha laughed softly, placing the finishing touched on his tie and making sure it was straight “But your accent is terrible now. Too American.” 

The groom grinned and looked at himself in the mirror one last time. 

“James Buchanan Barnes.” Steve grinned “Lets get you married.”

***

Bucky stayed facing the alter as the music began to play, so he didn’t catch the wedding party make their way down the aisle. 

Darcy insisted that Tony give her away. So that left Clint to walk Pepper and Sam to walk Sif. Thor walked Jane down the aisle with a proud grin, having already married her, and Steve and Natasha made their way down the aisle with the bright faces of proud parents. 

Bucky could tell that Darcy had entered when he heard the collective gasp of the guest, which was made up of about 25 SHIELD agents and some of Darcy friends from college. 

“You’ve got to take a look at her, Bucky.” Steve says to his right. 

He turns slowly, but once he’s seen her he can’t look away. It was like having the air knocked from his lungs. She’s practically glowing as she walked towards him, obviously concentrating as to not trip and fall and keeping her eyes on his the whole time. 

Darcy isn’t wearing a veil, she said she just didn’t see the point of them, so he can see her beautiful features. Her hair is elaborately pinned up with a few tendrils left down to frame her face. Her eye makeup is gold and shimmery, sparkling in the light of the hall they were marrying in. 

She finally reaches him and, with a few jokingly stern words from Tony to Bucky, slips her hands into his. 

“Hey.” Darcy said softly.  
“Hey.” He grinned “You look amazing. Better than amazing, Doll. You...wow.” Buck trailed off into a small, breathless laugh.  
“You look very handsome, baby.” She smiled, and brushed her thumb over his knuckles “But you look like you’re about to cry. And if you cry, then I’ll cry. So you pack that up.”  
Bucky laughed again, and the priest addressed everybody.

Neither of them were really paying attention until it came to the vows. Darcy went first. 

“I guess I just want to thank you, really.” She smiled “Thank you for loving me. Because now I don’t need anything else in the world, as long as you love me. If you can promise to love me for the rest of my life, I don’t need anything more. I know I’ll love you forever, Bucky. I promise I’ll always be there for you. Because you and me, baby, we’re forever. There was a time when I thought I’d never see you again, and that was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. I never want that. So I promise to be by your side. Forever.” 

A few tears streamed down her cheeks, Bucky reached up and brushed them away before she could. And then he read out his vows. 

“I never really believed in fate. With all the stuff I watched Steve go through, and Nat, and myself, I didn’t think there was anybody out there looking out for me. But now I know that there must be, because everything, every little thing I did lead me to you. It all lead to me going for a walk that night, walking into your diner and sitting in your section. And I saw what I thought was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But everyday you prove me wrong. Because I thought it was you in that waitress uniform, then it was you in that purple dress, then it was how you look every morning when you wake up. But now it’s you, in that wedding dress that you look dynamite in, Princess. And you’re about to become mine forever. And I’ll love you forever, I promise.” 

Bucky feels his own tears begin to fall, and he see’s that Darcy is crying too. 

They speed everything up, because they can’t just stand there in tears. Steve and Jane hand over the rings, which are placed on the happy couples fingers moments later.

“Well, by the Power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” the priest announced “You may now kiss the bride.”

 

The cheers to the crowd fade away as Bucky crashes his lips against his wifes and pulls her close. They pull back after a long moment, looking into eachothers eyes. 

“I love you so much.” he muttered.  
“I love you too.” She breathed before pulling him back in for another kiss, deeper this time.

Darcy pulled back again, grinning “So this is the start of forever.”  
Bucky shook his head “Nah, Doll. Forever started when I saw you in that diner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: The reception! (And maybe the honeymoon)


	10. Before Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a small prequel set 2 days before Darcy is taken

“Steve?” Bucky asked softly as he entered his best friends apartment.   
“Hey, Buck. You sounded like you were in trouble on the phone?” He asked, frowning “Everything alright?”  
“Yeah, everything’s great.” Bucky nodded, the ring in his back pocket “I need to tell you something.”

Steve wordlessly motioned to the couch, silently telling him to take a seat. 

“Well, you know how much I love Darcy, right?” Bucky began as he slumped down. His hands hung between his knees for a moment before clasping together.   
“Course I do. You never shut up about her.” Steve smiled  
“I kinda wanted to talk to you about that.” Bucky ran a hand through his hair and stared down at his feet “I see the way you look at her, Steve. The way you look at me when I’m with her..” 

Steve was taken aback “Bucky, I would never..” he began.   
“I know you wouldn’t..” Buck cut him off, but still didn’t look him in the eye “I know. But I just want to know if you’ll hate me..”  
The blonde frowned “How could I ever hate you? You’re my best friend, no girl is ever going to come between that.”

“It’s not just some girl, Steve.” Bucky said firmly “I’ve loved you for years, you know that. And you always come first. So I need to know, are you jealous of her, or are you jealous of me?” He looked up and their eyes met.   
Steve was silent for a moment “You, mostly. Sometimes I think, I knew her first. And if you hadn’t gone on that walk that night, I would have her. She’d be mine.” He hung his head in shame “Sometimes I’m jealous of her. Because now she comes first. I don’t need you to take care of me anymore, but I do miss the days when it was just you and me, before any of this..” 

“Hey.” Bucky placed his hand on Steve’s broad shoulder “I’m sorry if I’ve been making you feel like second best. You hold on to me for as long as you like. You’re my best friend and you always will be. But her...You gotta let her go. Because I sure aint gonna.” 

Steve looked up at his best friend “I’m happy for your Bucky. Both of you. I’m glad you’re together.” He smiled.   
“Good, because I’m gonna ask her to marry me.” Bucky grinned.

Everything lifted off Steve and he was left with nothing but pure joy “What? Oh my god! Bucky that’s amazing!” He stood and hoisted his friend to his feet before pulling him into a tight hug “That’s so great, man. When are you going to ask her?” 

“Tomorrow.” Bucky beamed “I just hope she’ll say yes.”   
“Hope? Course she’ll say yes, ya idiot” Steve slapped him on the back “She’s crazy for ya.”  
"I'm glad you think so, Steve," He chuckled "because I want you to be my best man."

Steve grinned even wider "Of course, Buck. I've been waiting to be your best man for years."  
"About 80 years now, huh?" Bucky nodded "She's the one, Steve. I know it."   
"Everybody knows it. You were dough-eyed from the start." The blonde teased "What was it about her that god you so hooked?" 

Bucky thought for a moment "Her smile. God, it was unlike anything I'd seen before." He mused "Shining, glowing. I just wanna see that smile everyday of my life."   
"Tony owes Clint fifty bucks, he thought it was her legs in the waitress uniform." Steve laughed softly.  
"Well, they did look great. But I saw the smile first." Bucky shrugged "I'm so happy with her, Steve."  
"I know, Bucky." Steve smiled "I know." 

 

The next day, Bucky was ready to call Darcy up to the balcony where they first kissed to get down on one knee, but he was shipped off on a mission before she even woke up.   
Then he got back a few days later, ready to give it another go. But when he search high and low for her, he only found the team convened in the common room and the message that she had been taken.


	11. The Way He Looks

The wedding party made their way in. Jane and Thor, Sam and Sif, Clint and Pepper and finally, Natasha and Steve. They took their places at the tables and turned their attention to Tony, who was at the front of the hall with a microphone. 

“Esteemed guests..” He began, his voice booming throughout the hall “You all know who I am. But I’m up here because I have a damn right to be, I paid for the whole wedding.” Tony grinned as the crowd laughed. It did, however, earn a small scowl from Natasha that was betrayed by her smiled “And I paid for it, because I know the two idiots that got married today deserve the best wedding possible. I’ve rarely seen a couple as perfect as they are, so I was happy to shell out all that money for Darcy’s dressed. And boy, does she look beautiful. So ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce the arrival of Mr and Mrs Barnes.”

 

The guests erupted in cheers as Darcy and Bucky made their way into the hall, weaving in and out of the tables until they reached the open space in the middle.  
Soft violins filled the air and Bucky pulled his wife close.

“What song did you pick?” He asked softly, recognising the tune it as they began to sway. 

Darcy had searched high and low for a song that Bucky would know and still expressed her feelings for him. It had involved hours of browsing on the internet and subtly asking the type of music he listened to back in the day.  
With the help of Steve, she had found the perfect one. 

“Just the way you look Tonight.” She smiled proudly and looked up to him “The orchestral version. Do you like it?”   
Bucky grinned and twirled her. The shirt of her dressed flared up for a moment before settling back down “I love it, Doll. It’s perfect.”

“This is perfect.” She smiled and rested her forehead on his shoulder “I can’t believe I’m married.”   
“Can’t believe it either. Didn’t think it would ever happen.” He agreed. 

Tony pulled Pepper onto the dancefloor to join them, shortly followed by Jane and Thor. 

The hall was lit by the fairy lights lining every wall and twinkling from the ceiling. They casted glitters on Darcy’s dress and made her shine. 

“Is it bad of me to want to leave and just go to the hotel room?” Bucky asked with a cheeky grin.   
Darcy looked up at him, feigning shock “Mr Barnes. I am a married woman!”   
“Hell yeah you are.” He muttered before pressing a deep kiss to her lips.

She’s lost for a moment, as she is in all Bucky’s kisses. For a moment, he’s not the Winter Soldier, he never was. Darcy knows it’s rude, selfish to strip a huge part of his life from him for her own solace.   
But when they kiss, she doesn’t think about the destroyer and how easily it knocked the strongest guy she knew to the ground because in her mind she was never there. She wasn’t there when London was torn to pieces like it was nothing, or New York crumbled to ash. 

When they kiss, they’re just Bucky and Darcy. 

She pulls away when somebody clears their throat behind her. The song had changed. In fact, it appeared as though the song had changed quite a while ago. 

“Mind if I steal this dance?” Steve smiled when they looked up at him.   
“With her or with me?” Bucky smirked, but released Darcy from his hold “Feel free, but you keep those eyes somewhere respectful, Soldier.”

He was joking, of course, but Steve’s cheeks pinked nonetheless.   
“Don’t you step on my toes, Rogers.” Darcy smiled as he curled a big hand around her waist. 

The two of them slowly began to step in time to the music.  
“Are you okay, Steve?” She said softly.  
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more happy and more alone in one day.” He smiled, but his eyes were sad.   
“You’re not alone. We’re not going anywhere.” Darcy assured him, brushing her thumb over his shoulder.   
“I know. But I think it’s time to take Nat up on her offer to set me up with somebody.” Steve chuckled. He was over Darcy, completely. Seeing how happy she made Bucky, his feelings just...dissolved.  
“I think I have a better idea..” She winked and nodded over to Natasha, who was watching them with a fond smile. Well, she was watching Steve. 

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” Steve said nervously “She’s not..”  
“Steve.” Darcy cut him off “She is.”  
He pulled away a little, looking over at the redhead “Do you mind?”   
“Go ahead. It’s bad luck for the marriage if somebody doesn’t hook up at the wedding.” Darcy grinned “And I’m pretty sure Jane and Thor don’t count.”

Steve nodded and made his way over to Natasha, asking for a dance. 

Darcy watched happily as the two made their way to the open space before she went and took her seat at the front table alone. 

She looked out across the crowd. It was her wedding day. Just under a year ago she was a waitress at a run down diner, and running after the scientists of Stark Tower. Work took up all her time, and that was fine, but getting married didn’t cross her mind even once. 

Now Bucky was on her mind all the time. She watched as he expertly twirled Pepper around the dancefloor, grinning as she squealed when he dipped her. Darcy didn’t doubt for a second that she had just married the most charming man on earth. 

“Bride can’t be alone on her wedding day.” Tony sat down next to her with a grin “It’s bad luck.”   
“I’m starting to wonder where all these superstitions came from.” She mused, leaning against him a little.   
Tony shrugged “You seem happy, so I don’t think any of it matters.”   
“I am happy. I kinda owe that to you.” Darcy looked up at him. 

“I know, my money pays for a damn good wedding.” He nodded.   
“Not just that.” She poked his arm “You gave me a job, you threw the party where I met him for real. You even gave us an apartment. I owe you.” 

“Feel like naming your kid after me?” Tony raised an eyebrow at her.   
“Anthony Steven Barnes. Has a nice ring to it.” Darcy smiled. 

Tony pressed a kiss to her forehead “That’s the spirit.” he stood and straightened his suit “I’m going to show Mr Barnes how dancing is really done. You need to eat something, you’ll need all the energy you can get for tonight.” Tony winked 

Darcy laughed as he walked away. She sat in silence for a few more minutes, before a plate of food was set in front of her. The guests had all eaten before the newlyweds arrived at the reception and it had only just occurred to Darcy that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, the butterflies in her stomach much had overshadowed hunger.

“Well I must be the worst damn husband in the universe,” Bucky drawled as he made his way over once she had finished eating “Because no real man would leave his wife to eat alone on his very wedding day.” 

She smiled and pulled him to sit next to her “I’m fine. You were having fun, I was hungry. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”  
Bucky’s eyes widened “You only ate breakfast. Babydoll, it’s almost 7! What were you thinkin’?”  
“I was thinking that I married the most easily worried man on the planet.” Darcy rolled her eyes, smiling all the while “But that’s okay, because he looks great in a suit.” 

She ran her finger over the lapel of his blazer. He grazed a thumb over her jaw.   
“You are so beautiful.” Bucky murmured “And you’re mine.”   
“Forever.” Darcy smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.   
“You sure?” He smirked “42% of marriages end in divorce.” 

Darcy laughed and shoved his shoulder lightly “Well that isn’t us, jerk.”   
“I know, darlin’.” Bucky pulled her in for another kiss. When he pulled back, her looked at her with pure bedroom eyes and a smile that made her feel weak at the knees “What do you say we grab a few more dances then head to the hotel?” 

Darcy stood, holding out her hand “Lead the way, Mr Barnes.”  
He beamed and took her hand, dragging her to the dancefloor “My pleasure, Mrs Banes.”


End file.
